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September 4, 2018 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. When you’re a parent, September always feels like the start of something new. That’s why this time of year is so hard for my wife Selme and me. Our daughter Kaleigh died three years ago. She would have just graduated from USC and be embarking on a […]

August 23, 2018 — This post is presented in collaboration with Crisis Text Line, the free, 24/7, confidential text message service for people in crisis. The piece was originally posted on August 15, 2018. The fall semester is looming and summer will soon be winding down. College students across the country are savoring their final days of summer– days […]

August 7, 2018 — I woke up for what felt like the hundredth time to the nurse asking me if she could take my vitals. In a rehearsed choreography, I sat up in my bed, placed the thermometer in my mouth, held my arm out, slipped my finger into the sensor, and waited until I heard the beep. The […]

July 31, 2018 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide statistics. When mental health is not a conversation within your community – you start a conversation. This is especially important amongst diverse, multicultural communities where mental health is often ignored or stigmatized. As the former executive director on the Active Minds UCLA board and former campus ambassador for […]

July 30, 2018 — Hello, My name is Armando Zaragoza and I currently serve as the chapter president for CSU San Marcos’ Active Minds Chapter, and over the past year my fellow Active Minds ambassador and Vice President, Becky Calica, and I had the pleasure of facilitating an event that focused on mental health challenges within marginalized communities, specifically […]

July 19, 2018 — Depression is blind. It doesn’t see your color. It doesn’t see your privilege. It doesn’t see how well your life is going. It doesn’t see anything. It just hits you.   Getting diagnosed with depression was a very interesting journey for me. I have been involved with Active Minds for a while, not because of […]

July 17, 2018 — I remember when I saw a mental health pamphlet in Spanish at an Active Minds Conference in California. It was so exciting, fascinating and surprising to me. Yes I wrote that right… a pamphlet! That was the first time I ever saw anything advocating for mental health in Spanish. I am a first generation Mexican-American […]

July 5, 2018 — Each year, millions of high school graduates make the transition into college life. Encouraged by parents and peers, the next few years are sure to be some of the best times of their life. While this may be true for some, mental health is a growing concern that is rising among college campuses across the […]

July 3, 2018 — Your partner may be struggling with their mental health and you might not know how to help. It’s ok, they’re not at fault and neither are you. A relationship alone can be a challenge, but when one or both partners are struggling with their mental health it can become a bigger challenge. I’m not here […]

June 21, 2018 — There is a hidden beauty that mental illness carries. A beauty that is humbling and fills one with a feeling of gratefulness that is challenging to articulate. Accompanying the racing thoughts and the frightening nights are the people who lend themselves to those in need. When agitation takes hold, when pressured thoughts turn into headaches, […]